Juvenal
Satire 1

ØA programmatic satire , mentioning
themes that Juvenal will return to later in his “satires” This satire was probably
written as an introduction to satires 2-5 and added later than these satires as
an introduction to book 1 of the satires.

ØThe structure of this satire is
broadly symmetrical:

1-21Introduction

22-80First exposition : objects of satire.

81-146Second exposition , marked by a clear new beginning- the main vices of
humans are isolated.

147-171Conclusion: reason for using illustrations from the past.

ØThe speaker begins the satire by a rant about bad poetry and poets
(similar to Horace 1.4)

ØNote the number of rhetorical questions in the first few lines
- this is a favourite way of engaging the publics attention by any public speaker
(Juvenal may have been a public speaker by trade.

Lines
1-21

ØAs Juvenal has suffered another’s
poetry so he will inflict his poetry on others- he too has suffered an education!

ØThe examples Juvenal mentions of
things that he considers to be bad poetry are (deliberately) obscure . Each example
is meant to represent a different genre of poetry:

a)Cordus has written a Thesid - an epic poem based on the life of
the Athenian hero Theseus. Epic poetry could take several days to read.

b)X has written farce

c)Y has written elegies.

d)“Telephus” and “Orestes” are mentioned as examples of plays.

To Juvenal, who read his books off scrolls, these are
wastes of good paper!

ØJuvenal
claims he knows all the myths well - the example he gives (knowing the groves
of Mars , a cave near Aeolus’ island belonging to Vulcan) is taken from the epic
poetry cycle “Jason and the Argonauts” – the golden fleece that Jason stole was
kept in the grove of Mars , the Argonauts stopped off at the cliffs of Aeolus
the winds god.

ØThe
main complaint of Juvenal the satirist is that there is nothing new in poetry
> The same themes are repeated in poetry day after day in rich men’s houses
where it was the fashion to have poetry recitals (this begins the theme of patron
client which runs through his satires – see particularly satire 5)

ØOther
trite poetic themes are mentioned , Aeacus is an underworld god mentioned in Homers
Odyssey. The size of spears used by Centaurs could be a reference to Achilles
spear in the Iliad. The point the satirist is making is that all the themes in
poetry are the same myths re- worked by both good and bad poets.

ØJuvenal mentions suffering in school trying to write
speeches such as “Advise to Sulla” (a Roman general and champion to the Senate)
He even quotes from the first line of a speech urging Sulla to retire “Let the
despot retire…”

ØJuvenal’s
argument is humorous : the paper’s going to be wasted on bad poetry anyway, why
not join such bad poets?! He ,like Lucilius before him will write satire . The
next section will be a list of characters that he could satirise.

Lines
22-80

ØJuvenal juxtaposes characters of mythology in section
1 (lines 1 –21) with characters from real life. The argument in this second section
is that indignation would make him a poet if talent failed him.

ØThe characters mentioned by Juvenal as fit for satire
are :

a)The married eunuch.

b)Well bred rich girls marrying country boys

c)The barber who becomes a millionaire.

d)The Egyptian slave who becomes a Senator. Crispinus , an Egyptian
who came to Rome as a trader in fish ,lived to become a member of Domitian’s Privy
council and is mentioned by name which is unusual in Juvenal – Crispinus is a
near contemporary.

e)Lawyer.

f)An informer (spy ) who betrayed his patron and is now given bribes by other
informers to stay quiet and wives of actors want to have sex with him.

g)Men earning legacies in bed by sleeping with rich women -such a
man is as pale as a contestant in a competition set up by the (long dead) Emperor
Caligula at Lyons .At Caligulas competitions those who didn’t win the public speaking
competition were forced to erase their speeches with sponges or tongues. The implication
of this is the man who earns legacies by sleeping with rich matrons can easily
loose their place in her affections.

h)A mob of bravos (yobs) who are led by a man who slept with his
male charges and later defrauded him too.

i)The provincial governor exiled for extortion.

j)Corrupt courts.

All these characters are worthy of “Horace’s pen” claims
Juvenal.

ØHe
returns to his original theme in line 52 - having to write poetry using trite
mythology .Here he mentions Hercules’ adventures , the minotaur (thingummy in
the labyrinth) and Icarus and Daedalus (“tale of the flying carpenter and how
he went splash into the sea)

ØThe effect of mentioning trite mythological themes and
characters of poetry in juxtaposition to modern characters who are morally repulsive
is to make the modern characters seem mythological themselves – an absurd concept.

ØJuvenal the satirist claims that you can only be important
in his day if you’re prepared to do bad deeds.

ØHe
then asks who is comfortable with “today’s” type of world in which your daughter
in law can be seduced for cash or your bride – even schoolboys are adulterers
today!

ØAnger at today’s world is what will turn Juvenal to
verse.

ØHis poetry is to be about all human endeavours , men’s
prayers , fears ,angers, pleasures, joys and pursuits.

ØNot
since the days of Deucalion and Pyrrha (Roman Adam and Eve) has there been so
many vices – humans were born from stones according to the myth of Deucalion
and Pyrrha. To mention this couple is to imply that there is a new type of world-
full of vice – that has been created.

ØMen gamble more in this new world and are more greedy
. The only type of battle you’ll see today claims Juvenal , are on the gaming
tables.

ØIn the old days , claims Juvenal, things were different…people
were kinder to their slaves . No ancestor would use a country house just for himself
alone or eat large meals alone.

ØIn
the old days, clients were guests (Satire 5 explores this more fully) , now they’re
not given meals as they used to have , but clients leave patrons baskets of food
to bribe them. Juvenal then imagines the squabbles that might break out over one
of these baskets of food for importance . A praetor (like deputy prime minister)
and tribune (important member of the peoples council) are beaten by the freedman
(slave who bought his freedom) The freedman is a foreigner who owns shops which
bring in 400,000 per year – enough to make him a knight (eques) The themes of
the self made man is popular with Juvenal (see Satire 5 and 6) Self made men can
even become Senators complains Juvenal!

ØHumorously
he writes a hymn to the god “cash” who has the deepest worship of human beings.

ØAfter
a consul (like prime minister) has had his year of office at Rome , he goes to
the provinces and there is able to levy as many taxes as he likes . Juvenal complains
that as a client he doesn’t get any of his consul patrons wealth but what he considers
less important people get in front of him for their money – like the husbands
who use their pregnant wives to jump the queue. Some even pretend their wives
are pregnant and ill and sitting in an empty sedan chair just to jump the queue
to the patron!

ØJuvenal
follows his patron to the forum – even there foreign people such as the Egyptian
Pasha ( a Jew who rose to become an eques and prefect of Egypt) have usurped
the position of the “true” Roman.

ØClients follow the patron home in the hope of a dinner
invitation which doesn’t come. A contrast between the opulent food and lifestyle
of the patron and the poor client follows (see satire 5)

ØAfter
his food (a whole roast boar to himself) he’ll pay the price as he gets into a
warm bath – his belly swollen with peacock meat and Juvenal imagines him having
a heart attack.

ØAt the end of the poem Juvenal returns to the theme
of indignation . Juvenal asks can he, a satirist , match the great satirists?
Lucilius is named . The quote from Lucilius “Show me the man I dare not name”
is contrasted with Juvenals situation. Lucilius had a powerful patron – Scipio
Africanus – and as such could write about whatever he liked as long as it didn’t
upset his patron. Juvenals patron is seen to be weak and stingy , so Juvenal dare
not criticise an “Imperial favourite” (Who were usually freemen) otherwise he
might die.

ØHe
can’t talk about vices in his own day. It’s safe to write epic poetry ,he claims
, but satire is dangerous. Satire is like a naked sword that will expose guilt.
Juvenal ends the satire saying he’s already armed and may as well fight (with
the sword of satire) but he might end up dead.

Humour
in Satire 1

ØThe reason that he writes poetry
is because he’s tired of poets!

ØCharacters in mythology are compared to the vices of the modern
day- these vices form a new mythology.

ØThe newly made rich patron , foreign
and politically , weak is fawned over by the clients. Juvenal likes to think himself
above everyone but he too waits in line for a handout – he is paranoid and jealous
of those with wealth and therefore has to think himself superior in some way so
he thinks himself morally superior.

ØThe prayer to “cash” . If honour
, Peace and virtue have altars , cash must be a greater god.

ØThe greedy clients and greedier
patron who Juvenal imagines dying of a heart attack after a large meal is humorous.